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John Knight Named the Eastern New York Boys Competitive Coach of the Year

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Boys Competitive Coach of the Year John Knight on the left with Eastern New York President Richard Christiano
 
By Randy Vogt, Director of Public Relations, Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association

November 11, 2022-The Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association (ENYYSA) is very pleased to announce that John Knight received our Boys Competitive Coach of the Year Award at Eastern New York’s Hall of Fame Banquet on Saturday, November 5. The festivities celebrated Eastern New York's 50th anniversary and was held at Marina del Rey in the Bronx. 
 
Also named as Boys Competitive Coach of the Year was Jackson Heights’ Frankie Pampin. Both coaches are extraordinary and that is why two people won the same award. 
 
John served as an Olympic Development Program (ODP) coach in Eastern New York from 2013 to ’20. He currently coaches the New York Elite Alleycats boys team born in 2005, leading them to the Northeast Academy League championship and Black Rock Spring Showcase title in 2022 plus the Potomac Invitational championship in 2021.
 
John coached his teams to five consecutive Eastern District Soccer League (EDSL) titles from 2008 to 2012. He also coached Ichabod Crane High School to the New York State Class B championship in 2012.
 
Additionally, John served as liaison for the Danish National Team and Under-23 Team when they played Canada and Mexico during a 10-day visit to Arizona in 2013.
 
With approximately 100,000 youth soccer players––both boys and girls––and more than 25,000 volunteers, the non-profit Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association (ENYYSA) stretches from Montauk Point, Long Island to the Canadian border. Members are affiliated with 10 leagues throughout the association, which covers the entire state of New York east of Route 81. ENYYSA exists to promote and enhance the game of soccer for children and teenagers between the ages of 5 and 19 years old, and to encourage the healthy development of youth players, coaches, referees and administrators. All levels of soccer are offered––from intramural, travel team and premier players as well as Children With Special Needs. No child who wants to play soccer is turned away. ENYYSA is a proud member of the United States Soccer Federation and United States Youth Soccer. For more information, please log on to http://www.enysoccer.com/

Upload Videos to Be Considered For Goal of the Year and Save of the Year

By Randy Vogt, Director of Public Relations, Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association 

October 5, 2022-The nominations for many Of the Year Awards are now closed, and thanks to those who nominated a difference-maker.

But there is still time to nominate and upload a video for both Goal of the Year and Save of the Year.
 
 
 
The online form and video need to be uploaded by December 9 to be considered.
 
A decade ago in 2012, Nkosi Tafari Burgess scored the US Youth Soccer Goal of the Year for the Boys-Under-15 Dix Hills Heat. Nkosi is now #17 for FC Dallas, playing for them for the past three years.
 

With approximately 100,000 youth soccer players––both boys and girls––and more than 25,000 volunteers, the non-profit Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association (ENYYSA) stretches from Montauk Point, Long Island to the Canadian border. Members are affiliated with 10 leagues throughout the association, which covers the entire state of New York east of Route 81. ENYYSA exists to promote and enhance the game of soccer for children and teenagers between the ages of 5 and 19 years old, and to encourage the healthy development of youth players, coaches, referees and administrators. All levels of soccer are offered––from intramural, travel team and premier players as well as Children With Special Needs. No child who wants to play soccer is turned away. ENYYSA is a proud member of the United States Soccer Federation and United States Youth Soccer. For more information, please log on to http://www.enysoccer.com/

Deer Park Wolfpack Win the Boys-Under-14 State Open Cup By Beating the Farmingdale Fury

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By Randy Vogt, Director of Public Relations, Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association

June 5, 2015-In a final between two Long Island Junior Soccer League (LIJSL) teams, the Deer Park Wolfpack defeated the Farmingdale Fury, 2-1, to win the Boys-Under-14 State Open Cup of the Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association (ENYYSA).

Deer Park received the new Rocco Amoroso Cup as Boys-Under-14 champions. The namesake of the award has been inducted into the Halls of Fame of the LIJSL and Eastern New York plus was honored as a Life Member by U.S. Soccer. Amoroso started the LIJSL Sportsmanship Program in 1980, it has since been copied around the world and he has spoken about the benefits of Fair Play across the United States.

“Farmingdale is an extremely good team and has been so for quite some time. Deer Park, on the other hand, took a longer road to get to this level,” commented Deer Park coach Joe McGarty about the final. “I thought the game was evenly played and fought. I felt that we created the more dangerous chances and I think my players just worked a little harder because they had a desire to prove it was no fluke they were in the final.”

Joseph Leon scored Deer Park’s first goal off an assist from Samuel Escobar. The winning goal was created when Leon was tripped near the goal and Escobar converted the penalty kick.

Deer Park also received the Howard Rubinstein Sportsmanship Award and a $2,000 check from Eastern New York to defray their costs during the National Championship Series. They will be playing in the Regionals from June 26 to 30 in Barboursville, West Virginia.

With over 100,000 youth soccer players––both boys and girls––and more than 25,000 volunteers, the non-profit Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association (ENYYSA) stretches from Montauk Point, Long Island to the Canadian border. Members are affiliated with 11 leagues throughout the association, which covers the entire state of New York east of Route 81. ENYYSA exists to promote and enhance the game of soccer for children and teenagers between the ages of 5 and 19 years old, and to encourage the healthy development of youth players, coaches, referees and administrators. All levels of soccer are offered––from intramural, travel team and premier players as well as Special Children. No child who wants to play soccer is turned away. ENYYSA is a proud member of the United States Soccer Federation and United States Youth Soccer Association. For more information, please log on to http://www.enysoccer.com/, which receives nearly 300,000 hits annually from the growing soccer community.

Juninho Juca Honored as the Eastern New York Boys Recreational Coach of the Year

 
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Boys Recreational Coach of the Year Juninho Juca on the left with Eastern New York President Richard Christiano

 
By Randy Vogt, Director of Public Relations, Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association

November 15, 2022-The Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association (ENYYSA) is very pleased to announce that Juninho Juca received our Boys Recreational Coach of the Year Award at Eastern New York’s Hall of Fame Banquet on Saturday, November 5. The festivities celebrated Eastern New York's 50th anniversary and was held at Marina del Rey in the Bronx. 
 
Juninho, a longtime Jucas Soccer Club coach in the Metrokids Youth Soccer League, was nominated by Metrokids manager Juan Alvarado who wrote, “His group of boys have been together a long time, creating a fraternal atmosphere. His players are very enthusiatic about their practices and they are a refection of what he leraned in playing soccer. Juninho’s players have gotten good results in Metrokids games and this has led his players to want to achieve more. Additionally, his team always plays clean and he constantly attends soccer talks to become a better coach.”
 
Congratulations to Juninho Juca, Eastern New York’s 2022 Boys Recreational Coach of the Year.
 
With approximately 100,000 youth soccer players––both boys and girls––and more than 25,000 volunteers, the non-profit Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association (ENYYSA) stretches from Montauk Point, Long Island to the Canadian border. Members are affiliated with 10 leagues throughout the association, which covers the entire state of New York east of Route 81. ENYYSA exists to promote and enhance the game of soccer for children and teenagers between the ages of 5 and 19 years old, and to encourage the healthy development of youth players, coaches, referees and administrators. All levels of soccer are offered––from intramural, travel team and premier players as well as Children With Special Needs. No child who wants to play soccer is turned away. ENYYSA is a proud member of the United States Soccer Federation and United States Youth Soccer. For more information, please log on to http://www.enysoccer.com/

The CDYSL’s Cesare Maniccia Honored as Eastern New York’s Personality of the Month for January

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By Randy Vogt, Director of Public Relations, Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association

January 6, 2015-For seemingly doing it all in soccer, Cesare Maniccia is being honored by the Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association (ENYYSA) as our Personality of the Month for January. The 78-year-old Schenectady resident played professionally in Italy, then after immigrating to the United States, he founded a youth league, a soccer club and referee association while coaching teams plus refereeing and assessing games. And he helped give our organization its name.

Cesare grew up in the small town of Sgurgola, 30 miles south of Rome.

“3,000 live in Sgurgola, which includes human beings plus cows and chickens,” he quipped.

He did not have far to travel to play professionally as he was a forward with Colleferro of Serie D, the fourth level in Italian soccer. He joined his father in New York State when he was 21 and the rest of his family came a year later.

Cesare played for Cortland State and for the Schenectady Soccer Club of the Central New York Soccer Football Association. He was also elected league Secretary. He played against two men who would make a name for themselves, just like Cesare, after they hung up their cleats—longtime professional coach Timo Leokoski and United Soccer Leagues founder Francisco Marcos. But the league folded in 1980.

Much more successful has been the Capital District Youth Soccer League (CDYSL), which Cesare co-founded in 1978 along with Peter Clinton, Charles Guinn, James Sinkins and others. As the CDYSL’s first Secretary, Cesare wrote the original league rules, and served as CDYSL President in the early 1980’s. He was Director of the CDYSL Select Program for many years, then organized league tournaments.

During his tenure as President, the CDYSL grew exponentially and clubs north of Albany joined, including Massena on the Canadian border. But it belonged to the inappropriately-named Southern New York Youth Soccer Association. Cesare was one of the first pushing the name change to Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association. This made a lot of sense so the moniker was altered in 1982.

Seven years earlier, he founded the Colombo Soccer Club. That group underwent a name change as well.

“The people in the club complained that our name was not American enough, so we changed it to Rotterdam Youth Soccer Club in 1977,” Cesare explained.

He served as the club’s first President, from 1975 to 1993, and built the Rotterdam Youth Soccer Complex, whose 11 fields are still in use today.

Cesare served as Director of Eastern New York’s Olympic Development Program (ODP) for over a decade. Not surprisingly for all this volunteering, he’s a member of the Halls of Fame for Eastern New York and the CDYSL.

For five years, Cesare was the girls varsity coach at Schalmont High School, leading the Sabres to the Section 2 title and being named Coach of the Year twice.

He’s also a licensed referee and co-founded CD-REF, the Capital District’s soccer referee association, in 1984. He even refereed a few international games while also serving as an assessor in the old American Soccer League and being a nationally-licensed coach.

All while teaching Math at Albany State for 30 years. Congratulations to Cesare Maniccia, Eastern New York’s January Personality of the Month.

With 123,843 youth soccer players––68,587 boys and 55,256 girls––and more than 25,000 volunteers, the non-profit Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association (ENYYSA) stretches from Montauk Point, Long Island to the Canadian border. Members are affiliated with 11 leagues throughout the association, which covers the entire state of New York east of Route 81. ENYYSA exists to promote and enhance the game of soccer for children and teenagers between the ages of 5 and 19 years old, and to encourage the healthy development of youth players, coaches, referees and administrators. All levels of soccer are offered––from intramural, travel team and premier players as well as Special Children. No child who wants to play soccer is turned away. ENYYSA is a proud member of the United States Soccer Federation and United States Youth Soccer Association. For more information, please log on to http://www.enysoccer.com/, which receives nearly 300,000 hits annually from the growing soccer community.

East Hudson Youth Soccer League Honors Its Top Coaches and Administrators

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From left to right: Tony Iandolo, Scott Westgate, Bernadette McCrudden, Alcira Cohen, EHYSL President Jim Purdy and Michael Capparelli

By Randy Vogt, Director of Public Relations, Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association

November 8, 2016-Celebrating its 40th anniversary this year, the East Hudson Youth Soccer League (EHYSL) has a long and storied history of great soccer and sportsmanship. It’s the second largest league in the Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association (ENYYSA) and honored its top coaches and administrators at the EHYSL Annual Hall of Fame Recognition Dinner this past Saturday night, November 5 at Anthony’s Catering in Hopewell Junction.

13 EHYSL Hall of Famers were in attendance to honor the coaches and administrators. All those selected are volunteers who do not earn a dime for their good work.

”Once again the East Hudson Youth Soccer League is proud and happy to honor those volunteers who are the backbone of our league,” commented EHYSL President Jim Purdy. ”It is only with their tireless dedication that we are able to offer this great game to nearly 18,000 players year after year. Their commitment is truly appreciated!”

Tony Iandolo of the Dover Soccer Club was honored as Boys Travel Team Coach of the Year and Bernadette McCrudden of the Red Hook Soccer Club received Girls Travel Team Coach of the Year. The Poughkeepsie Soccer Club’s Scott Westgate was named Boys Intramural Coach of the Year. All three not only received these honors in East Hudson but were selected as the best in each category among the 11 leagues in Eastern New York so they will be honored again for all their volunteering at the Eastern New York Holiday Party on December 4.

Michael Capparelli of the Beekman Soccer Club received the award last Saturday night for the EHYSL Girls Intramural Coach of the Year. Rounding out the EHYSL award winners, the East Fishkill Soccer Club’s Alcira Cohen was named Administrator of the Year and Dawn Sukovic of the Eastern Pike Soccer Club was honored as the EHYSL Volunteer of the Year. Sukovic was the only honoree who could not make the festivities as the club she serves is 65 miles away in Pennsylvania but still a vibrant member of EHYSL.

With over 100,000 youth soccer players––both boys and girls––and more than 25,000 volunteers, the non-profit Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association (ENYYSA) stretches from Montauk Point, Long Island to the Canadian border. Members are affiliated with 11 leagues throughout the association, which covers the entire state of New York east of Route 81. ENYYSA exists to promote and enhance the game of soccer for children and teenagers between the ages of 5 and 19 years old, and to encourage the healthy development of youth players, coaches, referees and administrators. All levels of soccer are offered––from intramural, travel team and premier players as well as Children With Special Needs. No child who wants to play soccer is turned away. ENYYSA is a proud member of the United States Soccer Federation and United States Youth Soccer Association. For more information, please log on to http://www.enysoccer.com/, which receives nearly 300,000 hits annually from the growing soccer community.

Patriots FC win 18U Girls USYS National Championship

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Back row, left to right: Coach Phil Bannister, Shae Brennan, Keira Nyarady, Claire Friedlander, Annie Maguire, Gillian Alessi, Leah Rifas, Christina Augustin, Sofia Kolndreu, Una McCorry, Caigan Leonard, Kayley Huleatt 
Front row, left to right: Hayanna Silva, Kaitlyn Krieger, Micaela Ross, Brooke Huleatt, Miya Frank, Charlotte Maineiro, Juliette Sullivan, Kaitlyn Judge, Sofia Rosenblatt, Coach Mike Friedlander
Camera shy: Amanda Berry, who had to fly home right after the game
 

By Randy Vogt, Director of Public Relations, Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association

August 3, 2023-Congratulations to Patriots FC which won the Girls-Under-18 US Youth Soccer national championship on July 23 in Orlando. With most of the players coming from Westchester, Patriots FC dominated nationals, winning all five games and outscoring their opponents by 13 to 1.
 
The final was between two teams from the Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association (ENYYSA) and Patriots defeated Long Island’s Middle Country SBMC, 2-0, on goals by Leah Rifas and Micaela Ross to become national champs.
 
“I believe the main characteristics that propelled us to winning the national championship were the togetherness and teamwork of the group,” Patriots coach Phil Bannister stated. “Every girl played a significant part over our five games. The fact that this was our last tournament together made winning the national championship even more special!”
 
Patriots FC are also the state champions, having defeated Force FC, 2-1, in overtime on June 4 in LaGrange, New York to win the Richard Christiano Cup. Just like nationals, Patriots gave up only one goal in the State Cup, scoring 18 goals to win their four games in the competition.
 
With approximately 100,000 youth soccer players––both boys and girls––and more than 25,000 volunteers, the non-profit Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association (ENYYSA) stretches from Montauk Point, Long Island to the Canadian border. Members are affiliated with 10 leagues throughout the association, which covers the entire state of New York east of Route 81. ENYYSA exists to promote and enhance the game of soccer for children and teenagers between the ages of 5 and 19 years old, and to encourage the healthy development of youth players, coaches, referees and administrators. All levels of soccer are offered––from intramural, travel team and premier players as well as Children With Special Needs. No child who wants to play soccer is turned away. ENYYSA is a proud member of the United States Soccer Federation and United States Youth Soccer Association. For more information, please log on to http://www.enysoccer.com/

Massapequa Soccer Club Grad Bill Manning Receives the MLS Doug Hamilton Executive of the Year Award for the Second Time in Three Years

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By Randy Vogt, Director of Public Relations, Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association

January 20, 2015-The awards keep on coming for Real Salt Lake President Bill Manning, who has won the 2014 Doug Hamilton Executive of the Year Award from Major League Soccer. This is the second time in three years that he has received the award as the top league executive.

“It's really nice to be recognized by my peers and to receive this award from Commissioner Garber,” Bill said. “I say this all the time, but it’s pretty easy to look good when you are surrounded by such a talented group of players and staff as we have here at Real Salt Lake. They make me look good every day!”

Bill, also President of Real Salt Lake’s home field, Rio Tinto Stadium, played for the Long Island Junior Soccer League (LIJSL) Select Team from 1979 to ‘83 as well as the Massapequa Soccer Club from 1972 to ‘83.

Bill’s Massapequa teams had virtually the same players from Under-10 to Under-19 but kept changing their name depending on who their coach was. He played for the Massapequa Flying Dutchmen (coached by Kurt Knoblauch), the Massapequa Bugs (Dick Roche), the Massapequa Cosmos (Jerry Lyons) and the Massapequa Bulls (coached by his father, also named Bill Manning). Although the Bulls lost in the Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association (ENYYSA) State Open Cup finals to B/W Gottschee in extra time in 1983, his teams won the LIJSL division championship in 1974, ‘76 and ‘79 plus the Long Island Cup in 1980 and ‘83.

While Bill eventually moved on to pro soccer, one of his teammates, goalkeeper Kevin Ferrari, started volunteering with local youth soccer and served as President of the Massapequa Soccer Club.

“My best memory of youth soccer is from our last year together with the Massapequa Bulls,” Bill stated. “We travelled to the Pocono Cup in East Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania. It was a select team tournament and we were one of only a few club teams there. We wound up beating the New Jersey state champs and then a team from Denmark in the finals to win the championship. We just had a great time together and to go out as winners with this group that had played together for so long was special.”
 
Bill led the University of Bridgeport to the Division 2 Final Four in 1986 while garnering first-team All-America honors. He continued his playing career after college and won a US Open Cup with the Brooklyn Italians in 1991 and played professionally in the United Soccer Leagues with the Penn-Jersey Spirit (1991), Valley Golden Eagles (1993) and New York Fever (1994-95) before Major League Soccer existed.
 
He began his sports management career by joining the front office of the Continental Indoor Soccer League during its inaugural season in 1993, then served in top executive positions with soccer’s New York Fever, Long Island Rough Riders, Minnesota Thunder and Tampa Bay Mutiny plus the NBA’s Houston Rockets and NFL’s Philadelphia Eagles before his arrival in Utah in 2008.

Bill’s brother Lawrence and sister Heather also played for the Massapequa Soccer Club as kids. Lawrence went on to play for Cortland State and the U.S. Deaf National Team and represented the red, white and blue at the Deaflympics in Copenhagen (1997), Rome (2001) and Melbourne (2005).

With over 100,000 youth soccer players––both boys and girls––and more than 25,000 volunteers, the non-profit Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association (ENYYSA) stretches from Montauk Point, Long Island to the Canadian border. Members are affiliated with 11 leagues throughout the association, which covers the entire state of New York east of Route 81. ENYYSA exists to promote and enhance the game of soccer for children and teenagers between the ages of 5 and 19 years old, and to encourage the healthy development of youth players, coaches, referees and administrators. All levels of soccer are offered––from intramural, travel team and premier players as well as Special Children. No child who wants to play soccer is turned away. ENYYSA is a proud member of the United States Soccer Federation and United States Youth Soccer Association. For more information, please log on to http://www.enysoccer.com/, which receives nearly 300,000 hits annually from the growing soccer community.

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The Boys-Under-14 Massapequa Cosmos, coached by Jerry Lyons. Bill Manning is in the front row on the far right. Former Massapequa Soccer Club President Kevin Ferrari is the goalkeeper.

Delivering Effective Coaching

By Tim Bradbury, Director of Coaching, Eastern New York Youth Soccer Tim_for_WebAssociation

To be completely honest, I started this as a one-off article designed to help candidates I had met in a variety of courses who were battling with how to manage a Freeze moment. After I completed the original piece, a candidate I had worked with on a US Soccer "C" license asked I complete the series. Many hours and attempts later, here you go. 

By way of introduction, I would advise that whatever coaching method a coach is using: Progressive, play practice play, phase play, shadow play, functional, small sided games, coaching in the game or a mixture thereof, how effective the session is will depend to a huge degree on the quality of the interactions of the main characters. These interactions, regardless of the overall approach chosen, can be guided by all that follows. As a final tip, I urge coaches as they plan sessions to try and add which tool and delivery method they will use and when they foresee using it. 

Remember that just stopping any activity, bringing the players in and having a long chat about whatever is not teaching and that learning is most unlikely to occur while a coach just talks.

Methods of Delivery That Can Be Used Within Any Tool

Positive Coaching, Key Words, Command, Demonstration and Questions

As I  allude to throughout this document, effective coaching needs an array of presentation methods. Coaches rely on and employ one or two at the risk of losing the attention of their players. Variety may be the spice of life but it is the key to effective learning. Whether a coach chooses a freeze, coaching in the flow, individual reference, natural stoppage or forced stoppage, any or all the methods below can be employed. 

Questions: High order/low order, factual, provocative, comparative and guided– So much information is available on the planning and use of questions that it is impossible to do the topic justice here. I urge coaches to put the questions they intend to use and the moments they intend to use them on their session plan. Plan the initial question and two or so follow up questions that can be used to explore the topic a little deeper. 

Positive coaching-Every coach should have the ability to catch their players being good and the research from Visek et al on FUN MAPS shows how important players believe this ability is. It is essential when using positive coaching that a coach 

SC Gjoa Honored as the Eastern New York Club of the Month

By Randy Vogt, Director of Public Relations, Eastern New York Youth Soccer SC_Gjoa_logo_for_WebAssociation

January 11, 2021-A New Year brings new challenges, although hopefully not as many as 2020, and new initiatives. One such initiative is the Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association (ENYYSA) is introducing our Club of the Month. In January, we celebrate an oldie but goodie as Sporting Club Gjøa of the Cosmopolitan Junior Soccer League (CJSL) is being honored as our inaugural Club of the Month.

CJSL Director Dimitrie Draguca stated, “Gjøa is longest tenured and one of the most storied youth clubs in the CJSL. It has adapted with the times and has become a role model for all other clubs to emulate. Athletic Director Jimmy Svendsen and Director of Youth Soccer Lee Kellett should be commended for the amazing job they have done.”

Founded by Norwegian-Americans, Gjøa is the oldest active club in Eastern New York as it kicked off playing soccer games 103 years ago in 1918. Although the Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen is best known as the first person to reach the South Pole, in 1911, his initial fame came in 1906, when he and his crew became the first to sail from the Atlantic to the Pacific through the Northwest Passage, a goal that had eluded explorers for centuries. This feat was accomplished in a 70 ft. square-sterned boat named Gjøa. 

Five years later in 1911, New York members of the Norwegian Seaman's Association organized an athletic club and, inspired by that hardy band of explorers, the new club adopted the name of the ship. Initially, Sporting Club Gjøa only participated in whale fishing and tug of war but soccer soon followed. The club’s name is pronounced YO-ah and rhymes with Noah, another person associated with a boat.

 
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A Gjøa team from 1926
 

Gjøa’s philosophy has always been to provide soccer training to as many children as possible, regardless of their family’s financial status. Currently, over 800 players, both boys and girls, are registered in the Brooklyn club. Of those players, 26% are female “but we are committed to growing the girls program and that is happening steadily,” according to Anthony Brockbank, Gjøa’s Assistant Director of Youth Soccer.

Soccer and darts are the only sports Gjøa competes in nowadays as whale fishing and tug of war were both dropped a half-century ago after having champion teams for many years in both. Gjøa soccer utilizes Dyker Beach Park, JJ Byrne, Leif Ericson Park, Pier 5, Prospect Park Parade Grounds, Red Hook and Sunset Park as their fields.

Gjøa’s Playing It Back Program is mandatory for every travel team player in which they must participate in one community event and one fundraising event every year. As part of this program, Gjøa players became pen pals with players in Accra, Ghana and when Gjøa teams switched to a new uniform, they collected their old uniforms and sent them as well as cleats to their new friends in Africa.

In 2020, Daniel Safian of SC Gjøa Berg was honored for scoring Eastern New York’s Goal of the Year while goalkeeper Duran Lee of SC Gjøa Nordveit made the Eastern New York Save of the Year. In 2018 and ’19, Gjøa squads rediscovered their Scandinavian roots by competing in the world’s largest youth soccer tournament, the Norway Cup, in the capital of Oslo. Six Gjøa teams went in 2018 and five squads in 2019. 

 
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Gjøa at the Norway Cup. Photos courtesy of SC Gjøa.
 
Gjøa alumni include Amr Aly, Gregg Bergstrom, Tom Kain, Lloyd Munsen and Michael Windischman, who all represented the USA internationally, plus the first Gjøa men’s head coach William Andersen, who along with Munsen and Windischman, are members of the US Soccer Hall of Fame.
 
With approximately 100,000 youth soccer players––both boys and girls––and more than 25,000 volunteers, the non-profit Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association (ENYYSA) stretches from Montauk Point, Long Island to the Canadian border. Members are affiliated with nine leagues throughout the association, which covers the entire state of New York east of Route 81. ENYYSA exists to promote and enhance the game of soccer for children and teenagers between the ages of 5 and 19 years old, and to encourage the healthy development of youth players, coaches, referees and administrators. All levels of soccer are offered––from intramural, travel team and premier players as well as Children With Special Needs. No child who wants to play soccer is turned away. ENYYSA is a proud member of the United States Soccer Federation and United States Youth Soccer. For more information, please log on to http://www.enysoccer.com/, which receives nearly 300,000 hits annually from the growing soccer community.